About Us

Outsideology is an independent family-run business, passionate about designing and building the very best garden buildings.

Our story began back in 2010, when Neil, our designer, was first asked to help find a suitable observatory for a friend in Edinburgh, Scotland. There were many observatory products on the market at the time, but none really met his needs: none provided the security, longevity or quality that he required. And so Neil set about creating what would become the finest observatory made commercially in the UK. Though it was the very first, it had several very important qualities: it was damp-free, fully secure and built to a quality that meant it was destined for a lifetime’s observing. Since then, Neil has continued to design and build observatories of all shapes and sizes, named after the birthplace of the first one, “Home Farm”. In 2015, Outsideology was formed, combining his skills with those of Vanessa, his wife, and Jeremy, his brother.

Since then, we’ve not only designed and built many more observatories but, in early 2017, we built the first of an entirely new breed of general-purpose garden buildings – representing the culmination of two years of research and development. We’re delighted to say that it has performed beyond all our expectations and, more importantly, those of its owner.

Neil is an experienced astronomer and holds a degree in Physics with Space Science. Responsible for the design and creation of our observatories and garden buildings, Neil is passionate about creating spaces that enhance our enjoyment of the outdoors, especially the Night Sky. He’s also a fully qualified electrician, which is handy! When not at the workshop, Neil frequently speaks on astronomy, teaches astro-photography and in his ‘down-time’ is usually to be found tapping away at his computer, working on some kind of world-changing thing or other.

Jeremy is a qualified joiner and leads the process of turning Neil’s designs into reality. He has a great deal of experience in all forms of outdoor joinery and hard landscaping, and works like a trojan! When not moving tons of earth or van-loads of timber, he works out in his home gym and creates original artworks in the unusual medium of spray paint.

Vanessa manages the financial and ‘business’ side of Outsideology, having keen skills in business administration and project management, and she represents the company at events. She holds degrees in biochemistry and dietetics, is an enthusiastic baker and loves reading.